Night Life
by Depphead
Summary: Jack and his crew stop at a small, uncharted island for supplies; soon they learn the meaning of the term "Night Life"...the hard way. Please read and review! (PG for some violencegore)
1. Should have listened

It was a warm Caribbean night. The moon was not out this night; for it was shielded by thick clouds andfog as far as the eye could manage to see.But in itself, the Black Pearl almost seemed to glow as it gently soared through the waters. It began to slow down as it neared a small island. "Jack," Gibbs said, approaching the Captain.

"I've got a bad feeling about this..."

Jack gave him an amused look. "You've got a bad feeling about everything, Mr. Gibbs. Besides, look at that small town there." he said, pointing to a small village on the shores, torches on sticks lining the beach. The entire island itself was heavily wooded; save the settlement on the small stretch of shore.

"But Capp'n-"

"We're docking," Jack said shortly, holding his hand up. "Prepare the boards." Gibbs muttered in agreeance, and walked away mumbling about luck. "HEAVE TO!" Jack shouted to his faithful crew. "We're pulling in."

They arrived in the small port for the quaint village. People had gathered just outside to witness the magnificent Pearl's arrival. Soon, it was steadied; Jack, Anamaria and Gibbs crossed the plank onto the sandy shore. "Welcome strangers, to Bête Maudite Island!" a man said, stepping forth; he wore a creamy brown top hat, with a velvet purple coat, his short brown hair sticking out from under his hat. He carried an ornate sort of cane/staff thing with a glass orb on the top; with a black and white marbly pattern in it. "And on behalf of its citizens, Welcome." he continued, shaking Jack's hand. "And who might you be?" Jack asked him. "Jacob Vincent. The people look to me as friend and mayor." He released his hand. "And landlord, and banker..." a man shouted from the crowd jokingly; they all laughed with him.

"Right," Mayor Vincent continued, laughing himself. "How may we help you? As you could probably guess, we do not get many visitors."

Jack squared his shoulders back, walking closer to the mayor. "We are simply in need of a few supplies, and we shall take our leave." He finished with a graceful bow, and stepped back between his crew. "Capp'n-" Gibbs whispered to Jack. Jack barely turned his head and whispered through his teeth, keeping a slight smile towards the crowd. "I know what you're thinking. Take what you wish, but don't make a scene. Probably nothing of real value here, anyway. I, however, have to relieve myself. Go into town and get what we need, and I will meet you back on the ship in a minute." Gibbs and Anamaria nodded. "Aye captain," they said in unison, and walked toward the crowd. Jacob Vincent put his arms around each of their shoulders and led them into town. Jack waited until everyone had gone to turn and head for the woods. "I wouldn't do that, if I were you," a child's voice said.

Jack spun on his heels. A small girl, no more than 5 or 6 stood a small distance away; where the crowd had been standing behind their mayor earlier. She wore a pretty white floor-length nightgown. Her light blonde hair hung down to her middle back and nearly matched her gown as it shone in the torchlight. Jack smiled at her. "Pardon me?" She shuffled a little. "..._It_ lives there," she said quietly. Jack looked over his shoulder briefly, then back at the child. "What is...IT, exactly?" he said, trying to keep a straight face. The little girl's expression went from timid to very serious. "We do not speak of it," she said, staring Jack straight in the eyes. A little shocked by the intimidation and passion in her eyes, Jack looked away. "Lily-Rose!!" a woman's voice cried from somewhere in the village. "Where are you? Come here!" As soft wind blew; the little girl stared Jack deeply in the eyes once more, finding himself unable to look away this time. "LILY-ROSE!" the still unseen woman shouted. The little girl tore away and ran back to the village and behind the wall of a building.

Jack continued on his journey. By now he had to go quite bad.. "It," Jack laughed to himself. "Oooh, I'm scared." he raised and swayed his arms a little to mock the...It. He got out of sight behind a few trees. The glow of the town could still be seen the trees. Jack lowered his trousers and began to relieve himself. "Ahhh..." he sighed with relief and a goofy smile. As he finished, he pulled his trousers up. A twig snapped behind him. "Gibbs?" he said, looking around. "Anamaria?" Jack called again. A low growling could be heard. Suddenly, he found himself on the ground, with snapping jaws in his face.

Jack did his best to hold the beast off. Easier said, than accomplished, however, since it was very dark, and his assailant was extremely strong. Jack reached for his pistol, but the animal swiped several razor-sharp claws across Jack's cheek. Jack kicked it off; and reached and locked his pistol. Now a little stunned from the stinging of his cheek, Jack wearily spun in a circle, gun pointed out. Nothing moved. Suddenly, it sprung on Jack again from seemingly nowhere, this time clamping onto his shoulder with its massive jaws. Jack cried out in pain. He punched the creature to the ground, and without missing another heart-stopping second, he squeezed the trigger. In the small bit of light available, Jack saw the creature's silhouette fall to the ground and move no more.

Inside the town, Gibbs sat enjoying himself at the local pub with Mayor Vincent while Anamaria was out getting rations and other supplies. He heard the sound of a gunshot briskly rasp across the air. He dropped his cup and ran outside. Anamaria had already rushed to the street, leaving behind a few sacks of flour and several planks of wood laying in the road. To their horror, Jack shortly stumbled out of the woods holding his pistol; covered in blood, parts of his shirt ripped away. 3 large scratches went across his left cheek. Several townspeople gasped and murmured as Gibbs and Anamaria rushed to him. They grabbed his arms and supported him with their shoulders. "What happened?" Anamaria gasped, staring in horror at the large bleeding gash on his shoulder. Jack looked at her, wide-eyed. "I....." he began. He looked at the shocked townspeople. The little girl stood at the front of the crowd, giving him that same soul-piercing look. "I...ran into a tree," Jack finished. Gibbs and Anamaria gave each other a strange look. "No tree I ever saw did this to a man," Gibbs said. "'S probably delirious...better get him on the ship." Mayor Vincent broke through the crowd, which by now had nearly doubled in size; everyone wanting to get a look. He rushed past the little girl as if she was not there at all, but stopped quickly when he saw the pirates. Jack moaned softly, and lost consciousness. Gibbs and Anamaria laid him down gently and stepped forth to collect the things they'd dropped as several people came out of the crowd to hand it to them. They loaded the ship, and came back out for Jack with a makeshift stretcher. They lifted him onto the stretcher, and began to carry it gingerly back across the wooden plank to the Black Pearl, where his crew awaited in shock. Jack awoke and lifted his head a little back at the island crowd. Mayor Vincent was trying to usher the crowd back into the town; arms raised. The little girl was so short, he barely seemed to notice her. She stood well under his arms, staring at Jack. He passed out again. The crew helped Gibbs and Anamaria sit Jack's stretcher on a table near the edge of the ship, until they could prepare his bedchamber. Anamaria bode farewell to the people of Bête Maudite Island, and the Black Pearl began to set sail again. For a short time, Jack regained consciousness. His head had been propped up now; he slowly turned back to the island again. The crowd was gone, but the little girl remained; much closer to the shore now. They met eyes. Suddenly, a great wind began to blow and the little girl's hair blew wildly along with it. The sails filled with air, and the Pearl started to move. Jack looked up at the cloudy sky; and once again his world slowly filled with darkness, until it consumed him.


	2. Early Symptoms

"How is he?" Gibbs asked the on-board surgeon, who finally came out of Jack's cabin. "SQUAAAWWK!! Shiver me timbers," Cotton's parrot squawked. Gibbs blankly stared. Cotton fed the parrot a cracker to temporarily silence it, and put a somewhat bloody rag and a few tools into his pocket. He pointed at Jack's cabin, then shook his head; pointing at his own arm. He wiggled his fingers down the spot where the Jack's wound was several times, then shook his head again and shrugged.

"The bleedin' won't stop," Gibbs sighed to Anamaria. She got a concerned look on her face. "Can we see him?" she asked Cotton. "Any port in the storm!" the parrot squawked again. Cotton stepped aside, and Gibbs and Anamaria entered Jack's room, formerly Barbossa's dining room. Jack laid sleeping gently on his bed. His left shoulder was wrapped several times with many layers of bandages and cloth; but it seemed to do no good. The wrappings, along with the sheets around Jack's shoulder were soaked with blood. Jack's skin was much paler, giving off an almost sickly tone of grayish-yellow.

"It pains me to see 'im like this," Gibbs muttered.

"Aye," Anamaria replied softly. "No matter what, he's never come off _this_ bad! I mean, he's Jack Sparrow for heaven's sake!" she finished, badly attempting to restrain tears.

"Well, we can only see what'll happen. Best give him some light and air, it'll do him good," Gibbs said, opening the curtains and some windows. "Th' moon's comin' out tonight, anyway." Anamaria poured some water into a washbowl nearby and soaked a clean rag in it; and laid the rag on Jack's forehead. She kissed it gently and sat on his bedside for a moment. Gibbs put an arm around her shoulder and led her out of the room, shutting the door behind them. Soon, the moon (3/4 way full) broke out from behind the clouds., shining down into the room, with an unusual brightness. It soon shifted mainly to his shoulder area. It glowed brighter and brighter, until it seemed as if Jack himself were illuminated from deep within. It looked to be giving him life; energy. The caked blood everywhere dissolved; his skin grew to its normal, healthy, tanned tone. His shoulder beam grew so bright that the part of him couldn't be seen anymore. Suddenly, the light sucked back to the moon and behind the clouds, leaving Jack all alone.

The next day, everyone solemnly continued their routines, Anamaria at the helm giving orders. Gibbs' job for the day was to prepare dinner. He bustled about the tiny ship's kitchen, messing with various pots and pans on his way. Stirring this, shaking that, he was continually busy. He lifted a lid off of one pot, releasing an enormous amount of steam; filling the room. He picked up a wooden spoon and reached into the pot and began to stir. An arm reached through the fog suddenly and gripped Gibbs' arm. He let out a small cry as the steam dissipated and Jack stood before him; completely fine.

"Jack...." he whispered. "You- you should be resting!"

Jack gave him that comical look again. "All my wounds have healed! Nothing's wrong." he said, pulling his shirt back to reveal only a scar; no blood. "So why on earth should I be resting?! I've got booty to plunder! Now where's Anamaria?" he said with a laugh, rubbing his hands. Gibbs remained silent and shocked. "Well," Jack continued, "What's what's for dinner?"

Gibbs' mouth was still dropped. "Uhh...err...Well, Capp'n, tonight, we was havin' pasta with sauce and some fruit. Got the pasta sauce right here in this pot," Gibbs sputtered.

Jack looked at him with a quizzical face. "No meat?! We're trying to feed _pirates_, not little girls! I must have some dead animal with mine!"

"W-well, there's gonna be some meatballs with it, and we was havin' pork tomorrow." Gibbs said, still in disbelief.

Jack suddenly got a somewhat-crazed look on his face. "Mr. Gibbs- I ORDER you to make some meat with mine. In fact- no 'pasta', just meat. Rare. Hell- give it to me RAW." Jack stomped out of the kitchen.

Anamaria stood behind the mighty wheel of the Black Pearl. It was foggy this day, and a little harder to steer the ship. It was almost as if it had been plagued with a terrible curse again; the fog sometimes loomed onto the deck, making it hard to see clear to the other end. Yet somehow, they managed. A familiar figure swaggered through the crowd, coming towards the helm. "Jack?!" Anamaria cried out to him.He stumbled up on deck close to Anamaria, seeming healthier than ever. "It's not possible," she muttered.

Jack held one finger up. "Not _probable._ Say... haven't I had this conversation before?" he held the finger to his chin and seemed to be in deep thought. "Oh well. I believe Iam wellenough that Ican take the helm now." Anamaria stepped aside. "Aye sir," she said warily. "It's solate, the moon will be out soon.You should rest." Anamaria said, looking down on the Pearl's main deck at the bewildered crew; all staring at Jack.He turned to her. "There's nothing wrong with me. What did I tell YOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUU?" Jack said, launching his head backinto an animal-like howl. He released the wheel and clampedboth hands over his mouth, staring at Anamaria in wide-eyed terror. He looked up at the sky; and could see the glow from the moon approaching through the clouds. Jack sprinted off the helm into his room, where he shut all the windows and curtains.

Anamaria began to follow him, but stopped. Instead she went below deck to the kitchen where Gibbs almost had dinner prepared. "Gibbs!" she cried. Gibbs dropped the lid he was holding with a shout. "Y'know better than to scare me like that, lass! What's wrong?" he said, noticing the fearful look on Anamaria's face.

"Something's wrong," she said. "Something is very wrong."


	3. Night terrors

Jack sat up on his bed in his chambers, quivering under his blankets which he'd pulled up over his mouth. A knocking came to his door. "G-go away," Jack called. The door opened anyway, as Gibbs and Anamaria stepped into Jack's artificial night. Only a few candles were lit, and the captain himself stared wide-eyed at his two mates.

"Uhhh..Capp'n," Gibbs said. "You…feelin' ok?" Jack slowly removed the blanket.

"N-no. Please, leave me." For the first time in his life, Jack Sparrow expressed true fear. This was truly a horrible predicament, and no one yet knew the source. "I must rest, as you said. Please, go."

Anamaria stepped forth. "Jack-" she began.

"Go. And shut the door behind you! For heaven's sake, shut it good…"

"Jack…what happened to you?" she asked.

Jack looked at her like a scared child. "The…THING was there, and it…it's true! She was right!" he squeaked, and fell back onto the bed. Ana slightly stepped forward, but knew there was nothing she could do. She and Gibbs left the room again. The moon still barely peeked from behind the clouds. They were in large mass this night. Not yet was the moon full; but a few nights and it would reach its maximum; gleaming like a pearl in the sky. Ana stopped just outside of Jack's cabin door. Gibbs shut it tight. "Gibbs-" she called as he started to walk away. "Do you think he will recover?" Gibbs shook his head and walked away, muttering. Anamaria ran after him.

"SO, you're just going to leave him?!" she shrieked. "We need to help him!"

Gibbs turned full circle and looked at her. "There's nothing we can do, lass! I told him not to go to that island…I told him. But you know Jack; daft as they come and even more stubborn."

Anamaria sighed. "We have to go back to that island." Gibbs coughed on his own spit; something he'd seemed to do often. For he was not a crazy man, yet hung around and followed them.

"Anamaria-" he gasped. She shot him a dark look with which he could not argue. "Aye.." he muttered, and walked off again. The wind blew again. Ana looked back at Jack's cabin, and sighed before returning to the helm.

The nightmares were terrible. Unseen creatures. Teeth covered in blood. Women screaming. The subtle moonlight. Over and over, these images flooded Jack's mind in the most horrible nightmare of his life. Shaking and sweating, he tossed and turned in his room. Suddenly, he sat up with a small yell. He realized he'd been sweating profusely. Jack wiped his forehead and tried to clear his mind. He shut his eyes and leaned back against his headboard. A creature, howling and screaming raced across his mind. He sat up again. It seemed so familiar…so…welcome? _Am I loosing my mind?_ Jack pondered. The night was nowhere near over; the nightmare had just begun.

Will write more later; very late in the night!! Sorry for the long update btw- I am working on the rest as we speak!


End file.
